Coaches look back on Pacific League opening games

SOUTHEAST GLENDALE — The Glendale YMCA Quarterback Club, in its 70th year, meets Tuesdays at the Elk's Lodge. The following are odds and ends from the third meeting of the year.

PACIFIC LEAGUE TEAMS

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It was a forgettable week for the club's three Pacific League members, as all three were nearly shut out in their league openers.

Only Hoover managed to put points on the board, but its one touchdown came late in its 48-7 Thursday night loss to Burbank, while Glendale and Crescenta Valley failed to score on Friday night in 35-0 and 36-0 losses against Pasadena and Muir, respectively.

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The Mustangs were able to turn a close game into a runaway by using their speed to make big-yardage plays in the second half.

"We didn't play real well on Friday night," Crescenta Valley Coach Paul Schilling said. "We played a pretty good defensive game, but you can only contain that speed for so long and they would get a big play. And all the times we held them, we couldn't move the ball. All of our opportunities we couldn't take advantage of."

Hoover had some missed opportunities early, as well, including a pair of empty red-zone trips in the first half, before losing starting quarterback Brendon Kerr at halftime to a knee injury.

"We beat ourselves a little bit," Tornadoes Coach Andrew Policky said. "It got away from us there in the second half. We had some opportunities."

Glendale's missed chances came in a different form, as the Bulldogs put the ball on the ground six times, but the Nitros could only successfully recover one fumble on the night.

But first-year Glendale Coach John Tuttle said it was his team's own turnovers that proved most costly.

"Offensively I thought at times we moved the ball a little bit, but a fumble and two interceptions kind of slow you down," he said. "We're not good enough to come back from that kind of stuff."

BONDS CREDITS KICKER

IN ROAD VICTORY

Mark Verso is better known for his work with the St. Francis High soccer team, but the Golden Knights senior has also helped the football team with his powerful leg this season.

The All-Area soccer pick was named as the football team's special teams player of the week by coach Jim Bonds during his address of the club on Tuesday after Verso put six of eight kickoffs in the end zone for automatic touchbacks and also kicked three field goals in the Golden Knights' 38-30 come-from-behind win at West Ranch on Friday.